Manitoba's Top Employers (2025) - Flipbook - Page 3
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MANITOBA’S TOP EMPLOYERS (2025)
MANITOBA’S TOP EMPLOYERS
Anthony Meehan,
PUBLISHER
Editorial Team:
Richard Yerema,
EXECUTIVE EDITOR
Kristina Leung,
MANAGING EDITOR
Chantel Watkins,
ASSISTANT EDITOR
Juliane Fung,
RESEARCH EDITOR
Cypress Weston,
SENIOR RESEARCH ASSISTANT
Vithusa Vimalathasan,
RESEARCH ASSISTANT
Krista Robinson,
RESEARCH ASSISTANT
Advertising Team:
Kristen Chow,
MANAGING DIRECTOR, PUBLISHING
Ye Jin Suhe,
MANAGER, PUBLISHING
Chariemagne Kuizon,
PUBLISHING COORDINATOR
Vishnusha Kirupananthan,
SENIOR BRANDING & GRAPHIC DESIGNER
Sponsored Profile Writers:
Berton Woodward,
SENIOR EDITOR
Brian Bethune
Deborah Bourk
Abigail Cukier
Mary Dickie
Jane Doucet
Don Hauka
D’Arcy Jenish
Diane Jermyn
Sara King-Abadi
Tom Mason
Michael McCullough
Rick McGinnis
Kelsey Rolfe
Diane Sims
Stacey Stein
Nora Underwood
Barbara Wickens
©2025 Mediacorp Canada Inc. All rights reserved. MANITOBA’S TOP
EMPLOYERS is a product of Mediacorp. The Winnipeg Free Press distributes the
online magazine but is not involved in the editorial content, judging or selection
of winners. MANITOBA’S TOP EMPLOYERS is a registered trade mark of
Mediacorp. Editorial inquiries: ct100@mediacorp.ca
APTN
ASSISTANT EDITOR
Sonja Verpoort,
A host and an investigative reporter at APTN in Winnipeg.
W
ith some of the lowest hydro-electric
costs in North America, Manitoba is
attracting industrial employers that
need stable energy costs and a highly
trained educated workforce. Future
developments in artificial intelligence, which requires
significant electricity inputs, also make the province an
attractive prospect for many of AI leaders in this field.
Employers already in Manitoba can see that the
province’s low energy costs will bring more companies and
organizations to locate in the province, creating more
competition for the province’s tight labour supply. With an
unemployment rate lower than Alberta’s, Manitoba
employers already know they need to put their best foot
forward when it comes to attracting and retaining the best
employees.
In this year’s announcement magazine, you’ll find
stories of Manitoba leaders doing just this. Employers like
Winnipeg-based Artis REIT, which offers three weeks
paid vacation allowance to starting employees, plus a
generous seven paid personal days off each year. Or Arctic
Co-operatives, Red River Cooperative, and Wawanesa
Mutual which each offer a paid day off each year for
employees to volunteer at local charities.
Helping employees plan for life after retirement is
another hallmark at many of this year’s winners. Take
Manitoba Blue Cross, which extends health benefits to
retirees with no age limit, paying three-quarters of the
premium cost. Or Efficiency Manitoba, with just 79
employees, the organization provides a valuable defined
benefit pension plan and health benefits to retirees, with
no age limit and 100% premium coverage. Or the Workers
Compensation Board of Manitoba, which provides its
employees with a generous defined benefit pension plan
and helps them plan for the future with retirement
planning assistance. At Assiniboine Community College
in Brandon, employees can phase-in their retirement
gradually to better deal with one of life’s major changes.
Many of this year’s winners offer special programs for
younger employees. Winnipeg-based Canadian Canola
Growers Association helps employees with their
professional and personal development by providing
tuition subsidies for outside courses, whether or not they
are related to an employee’s current role. Financial
services powerhouse IGM Financial provides a formal
onboarding program (‘Ambassador’) that pairs experienced staff with newly-hired employees, providing an
immense benefit to younger workers. Fusion Credit
Union Limited in Hamiota provides employees with
low-interest mortgages, to help buy their first home.
The common thread that runs through these programs
at Manitoba’s Top Employers is that this year’s winners
recognize employees have different needs at various stages
of their careers. By steadily improving these benefits – and
borrowing best-practices from other winners – these
organizations put themselves in a stronger position as new
employers enter the competitive Manitoba economy.
You’ll find more of these initiatives in the detailed
reasons for selection our editors released today, accessible
via the competition homepage: www.canadastop100.com/
manitoba. If your organization would like to be considered
for next year’s competition, please reach out to our
editorial team at ct100@mediacorp.ca
– Tony Meehan
